Sarus taken away from human friend reaches Kanpur zoo, quarantined

Kanpur The sarus -- which was taken away by the forest department from a man in Amethi who rescued it and was taking care of it for a year -- reached the Kanpur zoo on Saturday

Kanpur The sarus -- which was taken away by the forest department from a man in Amethi who rescued it and was taking care of it for a year -- reached the Kanpur zoo on Saturday. The bird, which shot into the limelight due to its unique camaraderie with a 30-year-old local named Arif Khan Gurjar, has now been quarantined for 15 days, said senior officials.

The sarus is one of the tallest of all flying birds growing up to a height of six feet. (HT Photo)

KK Singh, principal conservator of forest, confirmed the development saying the sarus was brought by a team of Lucknow zoo under strict medical supervision. “The bird has been quarantined for 15 days. A team of doctors are keeping a close watch and have started its treatment,’’ he added.

Meanwhile, another forest official, on condition of anonymity, said that the sarus should have been given the opportunity to mate and the decision to isolate it may not be the best course of action.

The bird had gone missing from the Samaspur Bird Sanctuary in Rae Bareli on Wednesday evening, a day after it was brought by forest officials from Mandkha village in Amethi, where it was being looked after by Arif.

Taking cognisance of the episode, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav slammed the government for taking the bird away from Arif and accused the forest staff of laxity after the bird went missing.

For the unversed, the sarus is one of the tallest of all flying birds growing up to a height of six feet. It is the state bird of Uttar Pradesh. According to the Wildlife Act, it is illegal for individuals to keep sarus.